How to Reduce the Risk of Importing and Exporting

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | How to Reduce the Risk of Importing and ExportingWhen you run a company, importing and exporting becomes an important part of its day to day operation. Whether you need to get materials, or you’re selling products to your customers, you’ll need to either import or export them quickly.

The trouble is, importing and exporting come with a range of challenges. This is especially true when disruption hits the sector, like it has with the coronavirus pandemic. So, how can businesses reduce the risks of importing and exporting? Below, you’ll discover some great tips you can follow.

Do your research

It’s really important to do your research when you’re importing and exporting. Different countries have different rules you’ll need to be aware of. For example, some goods may be illegal in certain countries. You need to know these things to avoid falling on the wrong side of the law.

Speaking of the law, always familiarise yourself with the legalities of importing and exporting. Make sure you understand any risk and compliance law you need to adhere to. If you don’t, the consequences to your business could be dire.

Ensure you have an organised record keeping process

One of the legal requirements when you import and export goods, is to keep accurate records. You’ll need to keep these records for five years. While brokers often have records, these are typically used for their own purposes. So, having your own copies is important.

It isn’t as much work as you might think and keeping records helps you to avoid any potential legal issues that might occur. You can research more about the types of records you’ll need to keep.

Understanding the different risks

So, what risks do you need to be aware of? The truth is, there are a lot of risks associated with imports and exports. These include goods being damaged in transit, your buyer becoming insolvent, political risks and economic risks.

Having a good understanding of the different risks can help you to avoid them. While you can’t always plan for things that go wrong, you can at least familiarise yourself with the most common risks you’ll face.

Overall, importing an exporting are crucial for businesses. However, there are a lot of risks involved. The above are just some of the ways to reduce the risks importing and exporting present. Remember, the more research and planning you do, the more you’ll be able to protect yourself against these risks.

Protect your Business From Cyber Security Threats: 4 Smart Ways

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Cyber Security|Protect your Business From Cyber Security Threats: 4 Smart WaysIt seems as if cybersecurity threats are both sophisticated and ever-present these days, something that can indeed make those of us owning and running businesses incredibly concerned. The good news is that there are several strategies that you can use to protect your business from such threats. Keep reading to find out what they are.

Update your systems

Out of date systems provide weaknesses for hackers to exploit, that is why it’s hugely important to update your systems regularly. Indeed periodically updating your systems and software is a low-cost solution that can help you stay on top of the ever-evolving cybersecurity threat that hackers pose.

You don’t even have to update your systems manually, as you can use a patch management system to do it for you.

Make use of penetration testing.

Similarly, as well as updating your systems using penetration testing to identify any weaknesses in your IT provision is a brilliant idea indeed. The reason is that once you have found where the problems lie, you can have your team working on fixing them before they are discovered and used by anyone with nefarious intentions.

There are many different Types of Penetration Testing to consider as well, and it helps to know the difference between grey, white, and black-box testing if you want to perform the most useful tests for your business. The good news is it’s not hard to remember as black-box testing is all about external testing, while white is about internal, grey, on the other hand, is a mixture of them both.

Properly train staff in IT security

Sadly, people inside of your business can also contribute to cybersecurity concerns. In particular, employees not sticking to IT security protocol like using only secure networks, not bringing it USB sticks can be problematic.

Additionally, phishing emails are becoming more and more convincing all the time. Therefore you must educate your employees on how to spot these, and how to weed them out.

The most important thing to remember here is that if something seems off, it probably is and therefore it is worth checking up on through an official route. This means using a phone number other than the one provided in the suspicious email to check that the request for information or money is genuine.

Also, ask your employees to check the email address, and the link contained within any suspicious communication. If they do not seem official or legit, then you can direct them to take the advice above.

We also recommend that you send them on training courses that deal with more detailed and complex parts of IT security. For example, while not directly a security problem, your business should be looking into decentralized identities so that you are not beholden to a specific service provider, but rather manage this yourself. This is safer for your business, but you need employees who understand the process, and what this means.

Finally, do not forget to remind them to report any suspicious emails to your IT department. Then you can warn the rest of your workers to be on guard for them, and even have your IT folks protect against something similar in the future.

Always have a back up

Lastly, while it is better to be proactive when dealing with cybersecurity threats, it is also essential to have a backup plan. Indeed, a literal backup of your data and servers are what is required here. Although whether you choose to do this onsite, or via the cloud will depend on what will better keep your company safe.

Digital Office Security: 4 Ways to Protect Your Documents

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Digital office security|Digital Office Security: 4 Ways to Protect Your DocumentsNearly every office has gone digital, but many still live in the dark ages when it comes to protecting their documents. Before you save your next presentation or proposal, make sure you do whatever it takes to keep the information inside confidential. Here are the top tricks to protect your digital documents:

1. Outsource Technology Management

While you may be a pro at problem-solving or managing a team, computers may not be your specialty. Many companies find this out the hard way. In the beginning, it’s not uncommon for a business owner to tackle multiple departments themselves, including IT. It’s better to hire managed IT services to help reduce your workload and protect proprietary information.

IT management is much more complicated than many business owners assume. Security breaches are more prevalent than ever, and without a professional IT team, it’s only a matter of time before your company becomes a target. Outsourcing technology management will ensure every document you create stays out of the wrong hands.

2. Create an Encrypted Password

People have passwords for just about everything, but some companies forget to password-protect their digital documents. Others simply don’t know how to add one. Luckily, creating an encrypted password only takes a few clicks. A password may mean the difference between keeping a document secret or having it go public without your permission.

To add a password to a Microsoft Word document, simply select this feature in the “Protect Document” tab. Choose a password of your liking, but make sure it’s something you’ll be able to remember. Strong passwords include a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. The more complex the password, the harder it will be for a person or bot to decode it.

3. Mark the Document as Read-Only

Sometimes co-workers make unintentional changes to a document without realizing it. After creating a digital document, there are ways to protect it from unwanted editing. When saving the document, be sure to indicate you want to share it in read-only mode.

A read-only document means viewers can only read the information included in the file. Read-only mode prevents anyone from overwriting or deleting any critical information contained within a document. If someone wants to edit anything, they’ll have to request permission from the author first. Some programs let the author assign editors to the document, while others only allow the author to make changes.

4. Update All Software

Hackers are always on the hunt for software vulnerabilities. Developers routinely update their software to protect customers and reduce any security risks. There’s a misconception that updates are only important for financial software, but that’s simply not true. Even your digital documents may become a target if the software is outdated or the company server becomes compromised.

Check for new software releases at the end of each day. Don’t put off upgrading, either. It only takes a few minutes to download an update, and it will prevent any confidential documents from getting into the wrong hands. Since many employees choose to work from home, be sure to train your staff on how to keep their personal devices updated.

Protecting Your Documents Means Protecting Your Business

Every company has private information it doesn’t want leaked, but it could damage your business if a document ends up in malicious hands. Protecting digital documents is a must. Outsourcing IT management, adding passwords, saving as read-only, and updating software will ensure your documents remain confidential.

Top Reasons Why Workplace Safety Is Crucial In 2020

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | Top Reasons Why Workplace Safety Is Crucial In 2020

Everybody desires to work in a protected and safe environment, making workplace safety a priority. In the US, 5,250 people died from work-related injuries, but the figure is expected to reduce by the close of 2020 due to the pandemic. This is why employees and employers are expected to take precautionary steps to ensure safety at the workplace – as everybody benefits from workplace safety. How have you created a thorough safety protocol for your employees? Here are some reasons why you should.

1. To limit a resurgence of the pandemic

Across the world, there has been a worry of a possible resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why employers should ensure that they do their part in preventing such an occurrence from happening. Ensure that your employees follow the safety protocols highlighted by WHO. Be sure that employees showing symptoms of the virus are isolated from a healthier workforce. In doing so, you can play a part in limiting an insurgence.

2. Statutory office inspections by government health officials

Formal office inspections are carried out in different ways, depending on your form of business. They range from safety tours to samplings, surveys, and incident inspections. The first deals with the general inspection of your office. Safety sampling is a systematic approach to specific risky activities or workplace areas. A survey is similar to safety sampling; however, it focuses on a general overview of dangerous processes and activities.

An incident inspection is only carried out by health and safety authorities after a workplace accident, injury, or death. In some instances, it may be required when an employee reports a case of ill health to the enforcing authority, based on negligent office processes. These checks are increasing this year, and you do not want to be in any trouble.

3. To reduce liabilities

A safe work environment would prevent you from being held liable for injuries or other health wrongs. For example, Walmart got sued for a wrongful death lawsuit when two of its employees contracted the virus and died from complications. Every step necessary must be taken to prioritize health and safety so as to prevent such lawsuits. For example, if you work in an office with long-standing water pipe issues, you should seek services such as Water Mitigation from HL Restoration to resolve these problems and avoid getting sued for putting staff at risk. No company wishes to be slapped with such a suit.

4. Continually changing data

Data on the Coronavirus disease changes every day, putting more burden on research and safety professionals. As scientists learn more about COVID-19, businesses become better equipped to handle the crises and its ripple effect on operations. With a second wave threatening the United States, it is quite challenging for companies to forecast correctly. As a result, they need to be extra careful while adhering to all protocols set out by the WHO and CDC.

The world is moving into new trajectories, especially concerning health and safety. Follow these tips to ensure that your company is not left behind.

5 Safety Tips that Impact Business

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Safety Tips|5 Safety Tips that Impact BusinessImplementing subpar safety regulations in a workplace does not mean saving a lot of money in the business. Rather, it reflects a future problem that may affect the entire people involved in it. Failure to regularly enforce safety standards could lead to some consequences such as reduced productivity, fines, and worker compensation claims.

As a business owner, you do not have to worry about making major changes in the safety measures within the company. There are a few simple safety tips that can make an impact to you, your employees, and even your business partners.

1.Safety Protocols

The first thing to do at work is to implement workplace safety protocols. This means that you should introduce safety regulations from day one. Hire professionals who have expertise in this matter. Seek advice from experienced business owners. Some employers even communicate with a physical therapist to understand all the physical demands of job roles within the company.

2. Cleanliness and Orderliness

An untidy working environment can cause unnecessary accidents. Make sure that everything is placed where they are supposed to be. Check if all boxes are well-stacked, watch out for spills and clean them immediately.

From office supplies to cleaning tools, they should be in proper places and kept in an organized manner. Regular inspections are a must since they help spot potential dangers like messy floors, disorganized tools, and tangled cords.

3. Communication Regarding Safety

This is one of the most important safety tips that many startup business owners miss in the process of implementing safety regulations at work. You should encourage your employees to communicate about safety without hesitation.

There are many ways to do so – a suggestion box, pre-shift huddles, or end-of-the-week summary. Think over what works effectively for the team. You can reinforce safety cultures by conducting awareness and proper training for equipment handling, near-injury misses, identified hazards, and other specific incidences.

4. Providing The Right Tools

As an employer, you should know what tools and equipment your team needs. Providing proper tools and equipment helps achieve a safer working space and better production. However, it does not end there. Make sure that these things are serviced, inspected and clean regularly. You would not want to deal with machine malfunctions and workplace hazards.

5. Regular Meetings

Conduct regular meetings that tackle safety in your workplace. When it comes to safety, you should not worry about awareness and readiness. During your meetings, perform a brief review of safety rules. Do not forget to discuss how to keep the entire work environment safe and work-friendly.

For David Rowland, Head of Marketing at Engage EHS, any business person worth their salt will have an in-depth knowledge of health and safety policy and practice. This is because health and safety is not only an end in itself, it is a means to an end towards a more efficient business that has an improved bottom line and greater brand loyalty amongst consumers.

These are only a five of safety tips you can consider to help your business grow. At the same time, you also guarantee that every person who is working for your company will be safe and sound. If you maintain this important aspect of business, it is likely to prosper and last long in the industry you are in.

For more business tips, you can visit Hivelife.com. This site is perfect for both startups and experienced employers in various industries.